Locals have hit out at plans to turn Kingston's tallest building into homes and build two more tower blocks as they fear traffic problems will get worse and the suburb will become like an inner London borough. One resident said the 1960s office building Tolworth Tower in Surbiton, near an M&S and Travelodge, already "sticks out like a sore thumb".

Proposals from investment company Meadow Partners would see the empty 22-storey Tolworth Tower converted into 261 homes and two new tower blocks built next to it – one up to 19 storeys and the other 15 storeys tall. The new towers would contain 231 homes, meaning 492 would be built overall. 

The plans also include new offices and shops. The M&S and Travelodge would remain the same and are not part of the proposals. Planning documents propose 50 affordable homes out of the 492.

Paul Enright has lived in Tolworth for more than 60 years and said the area "does not have the infrastructure to cope with such an expansion" – with 950-home development Signal Park being built nearby. He told the council's Surbiton neighbourhood committee on February 23 there are already "long, frustrating delays" travelling between Tolworth and Kingston.

He said: "The proposed development would further increase traffic problems in the area, including car parking and increased pollution. The development would also greatly increase pressure on local services such as medical and dental care, collection of rubbish, policing, public transport, road maintenance, social care, leisure facilities and school places."

He said the tower blocks would set a precedent for similar developments and raised concerns Tolworth "will increasingly become more like an inner London borough". He added: "Tolworth Tower stood out like a sore thumb for almost 60 years. Please don't allow two more fingers to be put up."

Resident Hazel Summers added: "I have seen the change in Tolworth from a lovely shopping area to what it's become. I object to the tower on personal reasons – that it will knock all sunlight from my garden, my garden will be overlooked."

She added: "I will have difficulty getting out just to go onto the A3." Rob Robb, another local, said: "The light pollution will be horrendous, the actual size of it is totally incongruous." 

Tolworth Tower development, provided in Kingston Council planning documents. Credit: Meadow Partners/Healey Development Solutions (Broadway)

Carl Dawson, director of development and construction at Meadow Partners, said Tolworth Tower "has suffered from historic underinvestment and a large part of the site is no longer fit for purpose". He said the plans will deliver new homes during an acute housing shortage, create hundreds of jobs and encourage sustainable methods of transport to reduce dependency on cars.

He said: "Our site-wide proposal of a residential-led mixed-use development forms part of the wider investment in Tolworth and will act as a catalyst for further improvement to the high street and surrounding areas. He added: "The scheme has sustainability at its core, the repurposing of the existing Tolworth Tower and intensification of previously-developed land." 

The plans also include allotments, a gym, a residents' lounge, a homeworking space and a public plaza. A total of 346 car parking spaces and 878 cycle spaces are proposed.

Old plans for the site were rejected on appeal in June 2022. Bob McCurry, planning director at consultants Stantec, said: "We've made amendments to proposals to increase the office space within the scheme. We now have a site-wide energy solution for the scheme and we've been working hard with the design review panel and design officers to improve the architectural appearance of the new buildings." 

Lib Dem councillor Thay Thayalan said "traffic pressure and the pressure on the infrastructure, the schools, GP surgeries – it's already at full capacity".

The application will be considered at a planning committee later this year.